The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

4.2
based on 500 ratings

About this book

Elyn R. Saks is an esteemed professor, lawyer, and psychiatrist and is the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Law School, yet she has suffered from schizophrenia for most of her life, and still has ongoing major episodes of the illness. The Center Cannot Hold is the eloquent, moving story of Elyn's life, from the first time that she heard voices speaking to her as a young teenager, to attempted suicides in college, through learning to live on her own as an adult in an often terrifying world. Saks discusses frankly the paranoia, the inability to tell imaginary fears from real ones, the voices in her head telling her to kill herself (and to harm others); as well the incredibly difficult obstacles she overcame to become a highly respected professional. This beautifully written memoir is destined to become a classic in its genre. The title is a line from "The Second Coming," a poem by William Butler Yeats, which is alluded to in the book.

Book Details

ISBN13 9781401309442
ISBN10 1401309445
Series/Work OL1943091W View on OpenLibrary
Publisher Hachette Books
Pages 352
Created At January 30, 2025
Updated At January 30, 2025
Last OL update January 18, 2025

Community Reviews

Write a review

No reviews yet. Be the first to review this book!